Friday, April 5, 2013

Week 22 - Easter Theme

This past week, we really dug into the Easter story. Our memory verse for the week was John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one

and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall

not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

We started the week by discussing Jesus arriving in Jerusalem (Palm Sunday), Jesus washing the disciples feet, and then the Last Supper. Maybe I just short change them, but I was surprised that the boys quickly recognized/understood the symbolism between the bread-body and wine-blood. They did a communion coloring page to which they had to glue on the missing disciples, bread & cup. "B" proudly told me that he colored his cup, gold, to represent heaven. He remembered this from our wordless bookswe had made! I was so proud of him. Mr. "C", true to form, decided his cup should also be gold.

"B"

"C"

Next, we did some fun activity pages. The first was a cross maze. The second was a trace the dot:

We also made baskets that contained pictures of objects from the story. A cross, nails, stone, and finally they had to draw a picture of themselves. To remind them that they were also one of the reason's Jesus died on the cross.

Let me just say, that it makes a Mama pretty proud to hear her little boys thanking God for sending His Son for us. ...still waiting for that conviction to come... keep praying!

Finally, we did some baking. First up, were Resurrection cookies (recipe). All of the ingredients were used to tell the death/burial/resurrection. Each time an ingredient was added, we read the scripture verse to which it related. To begin, we placed whole pecans into a baggy and beat them, just as Jesus was beaten.

Next, we added a small amount of vinegar (after letting them each taste it- wish I would've gotten a picture of that!). Then, we added salt (also tasted) for the tears that were shed. Egg whites were also added to symbolize life- Jesus gave His life, so we could have life in Him.

And finally, sugar to represent the sweetest part of all. Jesus did this because He loved us so much. Then, it was time to turn on the mixer. And, mix we did. For 12 minutes!

As soon as they woke up, the tape went a flyin'. The cookies had hardened overnight and when we broke them apart, they were hollow on the inside. Just as Jesus tomb was empty!

We also made Resurrection rolls. Boy, were these fun and delightfully delicious. Not to mention, they do a great job reinforcing the story. Find the recipe I used here. To begin, you will need: marshmallows, melted butter, cinnamon/sugar, and a can of crescent rolls. The marshmallow represents Jesus' pure body. We rolled it in melted butter (=oils), cinnamon/sugar mix, (=spices) and then sealed it inside of the crescent roll (=tomb).

Once sealed, we put them in the oven to bake. Then, we took them out to check to see if Jesus was still inside the tomb.

When we cut into the roll, (much to their surprise) the marshmallow had disappeared! They wanted to cut open every roll to see that it was gone.

Mommy's Learning Moment of the Week:

Want to hear a confession...alright, here it is: I've gone through many Easter holidays, over the past years, as numb as a person standing outside in 20 below weather. Easter attire...check. Go to church...check. Colored eggs...check. Easter baskets...check. Food...check. Family events...check. Home to relax...finally. I'm not sure when this actually became my mindset, but it did. I really had lost the true value ( and meaning ) of Easter! What happened to sitting down to really appreciate what God and His Son had done for me? Satan had really won that battle...UNTIL this year.

In an effort to really bring the Easter story home for the boys, I decided to make the resurrection cookies/rolls. Something tangible, right? After reading the scripture to them regarding Jesus being beaten and the tears that were shed for Him, I almost could not hold my tears inside. It was like something had broken through the ice, finally!

I confessed my sins to Christ at the age of 6. It was after a horrible day at school. I realized that I could not do things perfectly and that I was sinful. The worst day of my (then) life turned out to be the best of all when I accepted Him into my heart. That appreciation, gratefulness, and humility that I once had, really faded over the years. It's easy to become complacent and lose that joy. Or, at least it is for me. I am learning that I need to be more purposeful about seeking that out. I am truly thankful that He forgives and loves even a selfish and undeserving person like myself. That He pursues me, even when I sometimes stop pursuing Him.

Handwriting

This week we worked on lower case "e" and "l" and practiced writing some words/sentence:

Math

The boys worked on adding hundreds. This is the only picture I have. They had to solve the problem and then color it the corresponding color per directions:

Next week...

We have been rowing The Carrot Seed all week and learning about Joseph. It's been fun and we can't wait to share!

2 comments:

You are so good at celebrating the seasons and festivals. I'm really poor at that. I know they happen every year, but they seem to be upon me before I manage to get anything organised. I always tell myself next year will be different, but it never is (my poor children!)You did a great job. My son popped in and expressed the ever hopeful wish that maybe we could do that next year...!

About Me

The Mommy School is where my boys come to school everyday, in our home. I am learning that not only are they learning school from Mommy, but Mommy is learning from them too. I am thanking God for the little treasure's that He has gifted to me.